


From a Sith Lord to a Hero

by DS_Blxck



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But mostly angst, Darth Vader Lives, Darth Vader Redemption, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Movie: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Post-RotJ, Repaired injuries, Return of the Jedi AU, touches the EU a bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2018-10-29 18:22:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10859526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DS_Blxck/pseuds/DS_Blxck
Summary: Darth Vader, with Luke's help, manages to get off the Death Star moments before it blows up. Both father and son go straight to the Rebel StarcruiserRedemptionwhere they will be met with Leia, Han and the rest of the Alliance. However, being the center of the Rebels' hatred, Vader has no choice but to go in exile... AU, post-ROTJ.ON-HIATUS





	1. The Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually a re-write of a story I wrote a year ago for a contest on deviantArt called "Twist Fate". The word limit was 2,500 and this chapter alone has 3,749 words, so you can imagine how badly written and rushed the original was. ;) It was my first Star Wars fanfic and I really liked it (I still do) so I decided to give it a second chance by re-writing it and adding the many details I had to cut from the original. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you'll like it! Enjoy! :)

Luke Skywalker walked out of the turbolift and up the stairs in deliberate steps, closely followed by Darth Vader. The throne room he found himself in was exactly what he imagined to be: black durasteel walls, floor and ceiling, their sinister look only enhanced by the heavy, dark atmosphere which threatened to swallow you as soon as you put a foot inside. The room was plunged in darkness, the only source of light being the faint glow of the forest moon of Endor and the Star Destroyers below. The throne, in where Luke supposed the Emperor was sitting, was by far the darkest and the most chilling spot of the whole throne room. The youth let out a shaky breath and came to a halt in front of another small flight of stairs leading directly to the throne, his father stopping right beside him.

Emperor Palpatine stared out of the viewport and right at the green orb which was Endor. Soon, the Rebel fleet would be crushed, Lord Vader would be removed from duty and young Skywalker would be his new apprentice, his and his alone. Palpatine has been planning to eliminate Vader and replace him with a stronger apprentice ever since he found Anakin’s remaining body burned to a crisp on the shores of a lava river on Mustafar. He only kept him because of his great amount of hatred and self-loathing, which could be easily used against himself. And that’s exactly what Darth Sidious did. Why else would he keep Vader in a suit and make him believe his injuries were irreparable? His pain and hatred made Darth Vader what he was infamous for: a powerful, ruthless and evil killing machine who did not think twice before annihilating everyone who dared to oppose to the peaceful and just Galactic Empire. Every soul taken were driving him further down on the path of the Dark Side, making him more and more Sidious’ servant.

That was, of course, until Vader discovered that his son, Luke Skywalker, was alive. The son whom he believed to have died alongside his mother was none other than the Rebel pilot who destroyed the first Death Star. Palpatine clenched his black teeth at the humiliating memory, but relaxed shortly after reminding himself how close he was of having the naïve young man by his side.

The Emperor was snapped out from his musings as he both heard and felt Lord Vader and Skywalker enter the throne room. However, he didn’t turn his chair around as they made their made up. Palpatine smiled wickedly as he sensed Luke’s fear.

 _‘Good’_ , he thought. _‘Fear is a first step towards the path of the Dark Side.’_

Luke and Vader stopped right in front of the second flight of stairs and Palpatine sensed their eyes on him. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he turned to face them and his gaze immediately fell on the blond youth who stared back at him in a calm manner, a great contrast to his piercing blue eyes which betrayed his nervousness. 

“Welcome, young Skywalker”, Sidious rasped. “I’ve been expecting you.”

He then noticed the cuffs circling Luke’s wrists and loosened them with a wave of his hand.

“You no longer need those. Guards, leave us”, he added, looking over Vader’s shoulders where two of his red-robed guards were standing by the turbolift.

Obediently, the Royal Guards left the room, leaving the three men alone in the dark throne room. 

“I’m looking forward to completing your training”, the Emperor continued. “In time, you will call me… Master…”

Luke was unimpressed. 

“You are gravely mistaken”, he said. “You won’t convert me as you did my father.”

Vader glanced at his son at the sentence while Sidious slowly stood up from his chair, his paper-thin lips pulled into a sinister smile.

“Oh no… my young Jedi”, he mocked, his hooded form calmly making his way towards the odd pair. “You will find that it is you who is mistaken about a great many things.”

Luke resisted the urge to look away as Palpatine leaned towards him, his smile and the unwanted close-up view of his pasty-white wrinkled face deeply unsettling him. Vader slightly turned towards Luke, but addressed his master as he handed him Skywalker’s lightsaber.

“Ah yes, a Jedi’s weapon!” the Emperor commented, a hint of disgust lacing his high voice. “Much like your father’s. But now you must know your father can never be turned from the Dark Side”, he spat. “So will it be you.”

“You’re wrong”, Luke whispered, slightly shaking his head. “Soon I’ll be dead and you with me.”

Darth Sidious chuckled at the boy’s irrelevant threat, the bone-chilling sound echoing in the dark room.

“Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack of your Rebel fleet…” he hissed, the smile never leaving his face. 

Luke paled and it took him a great amount of effort to conceal the shocked expression which contorted his features. The Emperor saw it and doubled his efforts to risen Luke’s fear, ruthlessly exploiting his main “weakness”: his loyalty to the Rebel Alliance and his love for his friends and, surprisingly, his father. To prove his words were true, Sidious guided the young Jedi towards the large, circular viewport through which the raging battle was right in front of them. Luke’s eyes went wide in horror when the Emperor informed him in a careless manner that it was he who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the Death Star, thus dooming them.

“See for yourself”, he wheezed. “From here, you will witness the _final_ destruction of the Alliance and the end of your insignificant Rebellion.” 

Luke turned and scowled at the Emperor before his gaze fell on his lightsaber at the hooded Dark Lord’s hand. He could easily snatch it with the Force…

“You want this, don’t you?” the enemy’s harsh whisper brought him back to reality. “I am unarmed. Strike me down with it, give in to your anger… With each passing moment you make yourself more my servant.”

Vader’s helmeted head turned towards his master. He slightly frowned, not really liking the direction the conversation was going. He could clearly feel his son’s fear rising, and to be honest, his was too. 

Luke clenched his teeth, trying to keep his anger at bay. Palpatine was obviously saying all these to make him mad, and he hated to realize that he was indeed letting him influence his mood. He took a deep breath, again, trying to summon the soothing aura of the Force. 

“You, like your father, are now… mine”, the Emperor rasped.

Now that did it. 

His calm state of mind shattered, anger filling him in its place. He turned around sharply and extended his right hand. The black and silver hilted lightsaber flew off the throne and right into his outstretched palm. Luke ignited his emerald blade and swung the weapon full-force towards the Emperor’s neck, aiming for decapitation. However, he was prevented from doing so by Vader, who ignited his own blade and blocked the attack. Palpatine cackled with wicked glee as red and green criss-crossed in front of his face.

Luke stepped back, but his father followed suit. With the aid of his blade, Vader drove Skywalker away from the throne – and the laughing Emperor – before swinging his weapon at his son’s midsection. Luke easily blocked before taking a step backwards.

Luke and Vader circled each other, lightsabers held high.

Once more, father and son were engaged in a fierce duel. 

****

General Lando Calrissian stared in disbelief as the powerful green laser beam destroyed a nearby Star Cruiser. Another ship destroyed by the Death Star. 

“Yes, I said to move as close as you can and engage those Star Destroyers at point-black range!” Lando yelled at the comm as Admiral Ackbar questioned his sudden decision.

“At a close-range, we won’t last long against those Star Destroyers!” Ackbar replied.

“We will last longer than we will against that Death Star!” Lando snapped back. “And we might just take a few of them with us!”

Rebel X-wings, Y-wings and B-wings fired at the Imperial Star Destroyers as they were avoiding the enemy TIE’s and Star Destroyers’ lasers. The Destroyers’ shields were holding tight, barely damaged by the snubs’ shots.

“I’m hit!” a pilot suddenly exclaimed as he came barrelling down towards the bridge of a nearby Star Destroyer, damaging it slightly as the fighter blew up. 

“Concentrate your fire on those Star Destroyers!” Ackbar commanded. 

The pilots were all-too-happy to resume firing on them, especially after successfully taking out one. 

“Increase power on the front deflector shield!” Calrissian informed. “We’re going in!”

“I’m right with you”, Wedge Antilles replied. “Close up formations, team.”

“Stay clear of their front batteries!” Blue Leader warned as they passed too close to an explosion.

Lando and Wedge pulled up as the unfortunate leader got caught in the explosion, blowing up with the Star Destroyer. 

This was going to be a long way to go…

****

Luke listened in silent terror as Vader began taunting him about his friends, claiming he can only save them through the power of the Dark Side of the Force. Vader was slowly walking, trying to find his son who was safely hidden behind a pillar, the shadows of the platform above adequately hiding him from anyone’s sight. The Dark Lord continued to talk, indirectly quoting what Chancellor Palpatine told him over two decades ago during that famous night in the opera when he was still known as Anakin Skywalker. Vader remembered that scene like it was yesterday. It was when he learned the true power of the Force, power he exploited ever since. His son will meet the same fate, whether he’ll like it or not. 

Luke felt a sharp poke on his mental shields which loosened them. He tried to raise them again but his concerns towards his friends and sister were echoed before he could do so. Vader paused as he picked them up.

“Your feelings for them are strong”, he continued. “Especially for…”

Vader froze. _‘Sister?’_ he thought in confusion. An image of Princess Leia appeared and his suspicions were confirmed. Luke had a twin sister! And… Vader’s insides went cold as he realized how he missed to see how much Leia resembles Padmé. How could he have missed that? Because of his ignorance, he had tortured his own daughter on the first Death Star! An odd feeling of guilt filled him, but he quickly crushed it as he refocused on the situation ahead of him.

“…Sister”, Vader breathed out, causing Luke’s fear to spike. “So, you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now, his failure is complete.”

Luke could clearly feel bitterness and anger radiating from his father. What was puzzling, however, was that it was mostly directed at himself and at Obi-Wan. Skywalker summoned what little energy he still had, ready to leap out from his hiding place as soon as Vader got close enough.

“If you will not turn to the Dark Side”, the Dark Lord continued. “Then perhaps she will.”

Luke’s fear instantly vanished, replaced by fury. No one will ever hurt his sister, especially not their father! He will not allow it!

“NEVER!” he roared, igniting his lightsaber. 

Without thinking, he ran out from behind the pillar and straight at Vader, who turned his helmet towards him in surprise before blocking his attack. But Luke didn’t stop there. He delivered blow after blow, each more powerful than the last one, each taking Vader completely off-guard. Normally, the Sith would have relished this new surge of power he felt within his son, but now… he couldn’t help but be afraid, especially since he was outmatched, his son’s blows driving him more and more towards the reactor shaft. Vader’s feet then hit something and he fell backwards, not before grabbing a hold of a horizontal bar. Luke took advantage of his father’s situation and severed his right hand, easily avoiding the red blade. Both Vader’s hand and the now-extinguished lightsaber plummeted down the reactor shaft, forever wiped from existence. With a scream, Vader fell on his back, his left hand raised in defense in front of his face. 

Luke was breathing heavily, his lightsaber pointed at his father’s throat. He was defenseless, he could easily finish him. He just had to swing his blade and…

A cackling interrupted his morbid train of thoughts. Luke glanced back to see the Emperor walking down the stairs, laughing at the sight of his overpowered apprentice and his son standing right at the edge of the Dark Side. 

“Good!” Palpatine cackled. “Kill him! Your hate has made you powerful! Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father’s place at my side.”

Vader stared at his master, a dark sense of déjà-vu hitting him square in the chest.

_“Good, Anakin, good”, Chancellor Palpatine laughed. “Kill him.”_

_Count Dooku stared at him in shock, momentarily forgetting the sharp, throbbing pain coming from the smoking stumps where his hands had once been, and the two blades crossed right at his neck._

_“Kill him now”, Palpatine repeated._

_Anakin Skywalker shook his head, making the Count stare back at him._

_“I shouldn’t”, he said. “It is not the Jedi way.”_

_“Do it!” the Chancellor spat._

_Anakin swallowed, clearly hesitating between sparing the enemy kneeled in front of him at his mercy, or killing him. Finally, after moments of debate, he uncrossed the red and blue blades, severing Dooku’s head. The body slumped with a sickening thud._

Vader shook the memory away, his throat constricting from the horror he felt at that moment. He was about to get killed, exactly like Count Dooku did all these years ago, by none other than his own son… _‘So this is how it all ends’_ , he mused sadly. 

Luke looked back at his father, who was staring at him. His gaze then fell on the remaining of Vader’s right arm before slowly moving towards his own mechanical right hand. His horror at the realization almost made him drop his lightsaber. How close had he been to kill his father! How close he had been to succumb to the Dark Side, just like his father had! Clenching and unclenching his artificial hand, he couldn’t help but notice how similar he was to Vader in many ways… and how he almost became the very thing he swore to eradicate within his father… If he would have finished what he started when he attacked Vader under that platform, he would have acted no better than the Dark Lord… He would now be controlled by evil and darkness…

A shudder passed through Luke’s spine, who slowly turned back towards the Emperor. He extinguished his weapon before daring to face the Emperor, a calm expression replacing the shocked one.

“I will never turn”, he said, shaking his head. “You have failed, you highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.”

With that, he hurled his lightsaber away. Palpatine’s gleeful expression fell and his features were twisted by anger and disgust.

“So be it… Jedi”, he spat. 

He slowly raised his bony fingertips towards the youth, who fell backwards with an agonized yell as a great amount of Sith lightning crashed from the Emperor’s fingers and right into him. Behind him, Vader pulled enough strength to stand up. Trembling slightly, he limped towards the Emperor, behind where he came to a halt. He watched, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest, the lightning bouncing off Luke’s body, his face contorted in an expression of pure pain and agony. 

_“This is not right”_ , a voice echoed within his mind. _“You should be there in his place.”_

 _“He gets what he deserves”_ , another voice snarled. _“The boy is too weak to be left alive!”_

Vader shook his head to get rid of the voices and refocused on the Emperor.

_“You’re strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you”, Obi-Wan smiled._

_Anakin smiled, even though his heart was lurching painfully at the thought of his master leaving._

_“Obi-Wan”, he called after him as Obi-Wan was already at the bottom of the stairs._

_Obi-Wan turned around._

_“May the Force be with you.”_

_His master smiled._

_“Goodbye, old friend.”_

Vader was roughly pulled out from the memory. What was that all about? 

“Father… please..!” Luke moaned, causing Vader to tear his eyes from the Emperor to look at his son, his son whose eyes strongly resembled his mother’s, except for the colour... 

_“Anakin! You’re breaking my heart!” Padmé cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You’re going down a path I can’t follow!”_

_Anakin, now Darth Vader, glared at her, his blue eyes cold and hard._

_“Because of Obi-Wan?” he growled._

_“Because of what you’ve done! What you’re planning to do!”_

_Vader glanced up and his eyes turned yellow as he spotted Obi-Wan standing on the ramp._

_“Stop! Come back! I love you!” Padmé pleaded._

_“LIAR!” Vader roared in rage, still not taking his eyes off of his former master._

_Padmé turned towards where her husband was so intently staring and paled when she caught sight of Obi-Wan._

_“No…” she whimpered._

_“You’re with him!” Vader shouted. “You brought him here to kill me!”_

_“No!”_

_Vader only ignored her and extended a hand towards her. As his finger made a pinching movement, Padmé felt her lungs run out of air and she began to choke…_

“Now, young Skywalker”, the Emperor smiled. “You will die.”

Vader gasped as he was brought back once again to reality. No matter how many times he replayed it in his mind, it wrenched his heart every time, turning him into a weeping mess with guilt and immense sadness washing him over. 

_“You were the Chosen One!” Obi-Wan screamed, looking at what remained of his student._

_Vader was helplessly lying on the riverbank, his legs and left arm chopped off, his fiery yellow eyes glaring at Obi-Wan._

_“It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them!” the Jedi continued. “Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!”_

_“I HATE YOU!” Vader roared as Obi-Wan retrieved his lightsaber from the ground._

_Obi-Wan faced the man who was once Anakin Skywalker one last time, crying openly._

_“You were my brother, Anakin”, he said. “I loved you.”_

_Vader’s right leg ignited on fire, and he howled in agony as he found himself being engulfed in flames. Stars exploded in his vision and he didn’t stop screaming, not even when he was sure his vocal cords were strained…_

_“Lord Vader” a voice he knew too well rasped. “Can you hear me?”_

_Vader looked around. He was in the surgery room with his suit already on. He let a breathing cycle pass before he spoke._

_“Yes, Master”, he rumbled, his voice now a deep baritone through the vocoder. “Where is Padmé?” he added. “Is she safe? Is she alright?”_

_Another breathing cycle passed._

_“It seems, in your anger, you… killed her”, the Emperor voiced, confirming his worst fear right away._

_“I? I couldn’t have! She was alive, I felt it!”_

_He reached with the Force and he felt his heart break into a million smaller pieces. Torn apart by rage and grief, he broke out from his restrains and broke all the surrounding medical droids and equipment. This couldn’t be possible! He couldn’t have!_

_“NOOOOO!!” he bellowed, angry tears streaming down his scarred cheeks._

Vader almost stumbled forward when snapped back to reality, but caught himself in time. His eyes were stinging and his vision was blurred, realizing in disbelief that he was crying. Blinking rapidly to push the tears away, he glanced back at the Emperor and a new wave of anger filled him. He already knew Palpatine had lied to him about Padmé’s death when he discovered his son was alive, but now, knowing that he had twin sister who was none other than Princess Leia Organa… This was too much. His anger turned into fury when it dawned on him that Luke and Leia were all he had left of Padmé, and that his Master was about to kill both of them. 

Vader summoned his son’s lightsaber to his remaining hand. If Palpatine wanted to kill his children, he had to pass through their father first. Luckily, the Emperor did not notice his former apprentice’s actions, being too occupied with torturing Luke. Vader’s lips pulled into a grim smile as he discreetly positioned himself behind the Emperor, in way which his back was vulnerable. The Dark Lord shot a last look at his son. Luke was nearly unconscious, his body not twitching as much as before. It was now or never.

“This is for Padmé”, Vader muttered between clenched teeth.

The brilliant green blade sprang to life and went right through the Emperor’s chest. 

The lightning immediately stopped as Palpatine screamed out in both surprise and pain. Luke lifted his head up in disbelief as he saw _his_ lightsaber protruding out of the Emperor’s black robes. Sidious looked down in horror at the blade before smiling wickedly.

“Why, Lord Vader”, he cackled. “Is this treason?”

Vader gruffly removed the blade from where it was impaled.

“Your reign of terror ends here, my Master”, he growled. “You will finally pay for all the lies you told me and the suffering you put me through for the last two decades!”

Without letting Palpatine reply, Vader swung the saber down in an inhuman speed. Sidious didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. His head fell to the cold floor and came to a halt a few feet away from the father and the son.

Luke stared at the decapitated body, breathing and trembling heavily, then up at his father. 

“F-father…” he stammered. 

Vader clipped Luke’s lightsaber to his belt before kneeling down in front of his son. Numbly, he raised a hand and traced the outline of his son’s cheekbone with his thumb. 

“Father…” Luke repeated, his eyes still wide. “You… you killed…”

Vader let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. His hand slid to Luke’s shoulder, which he lightly gripped.

“You were right…” the father whispered. “You were right about me…”

Luke’s lips pulled into a thin smile as he reached for the stump of the elder man’s right arm. He opened his mouth to say something when the ground wildly shook beneath them. 

It only meant one thing.

The Rebels were in the Death Star’s main reactor.


	2. The Escape

Pipes and other metal components were all but a blur as Lando Calrissian, Wedge Antilles, three Rebel pilots and five TIE fighters were flying their way in a dizzying speed towards the power generator. Not only the Rebels had to keep away from the edges, but they also had to avoid getting hit by the TIE’s laser shots.

“Split up and head back to the surface”, Lando ordered as an X-wing blew up behind them. “See if you can get a few of those TIE fighters…”

The four pilots go in two different ways, Lando and Wedge sticking together. They pick up speed as they see a lone TIE Modified heading right after them. A few manoeuvers should do it… Lando’s Sullustan co-pilot suddenly cried out, warning him that the trench narrows, but the pilot changed course too late and the lower half of the _Millennium Falcon_ collided with a pipe. The impact took out the weather antenna. 

Lando gulped.

“That was too close…” he muttered.

He checked his targeting computer and noticed with great relief that he was not far away from the generator. He broke into a wide grin.

The Death Star would be destroyed in a matter of minutes.

****

Luke and Vader sat unmoving on the floor, stunned speechless as the black durasteel floor came still beneath them. No one dared to utter a single sound as they both stared out the viewport through where they got a perfect view of the _Executor_ spinning out of orbit and crashing straight into the southern hemisphere of the Death Star, the bridge heavily damaged and on fire. The collision sent another shock wave through the ground, sending Luke backwards in an awkward lying position. Vader automatically sprung up and hurried towards him before offering him a helping hand. Luke gladly took it and let his father pull him up. 

“Are you alright?” the Dark Lord asked, putting his hand on Skywalker’s shoulder as the ground shook once more.

Luke gripped Vader’s arms to stabilize himself and nodded. A blood-chilling creaking sounded above them and Luke instantly knew they didn’t have much time left to idle. They needed to get out of this space station as fast as they could.

“Father, the Rebels will be in the power generator any minute now”, he informed, his voiced laced with panic and determination. “We need to get out of here now!”

Vader nodded and grabbed his son by the arm.

“Can you walk?” he asked.

“Yes! Do you know where the closest hangar bay is?”

“This way.”

Vader shot the window a last glance as they exited the room for the last time. The colourful laser shots had increased, warning them of the Rebels’ victory. Despite his observing and calculating look, the Sith had failed to notice a dark shadow standing in a corner not far from the Emperor’s body, watching their every move…

****

The two red-robed Royal Guards who were guarding the throne room literally jumped in surprise as Darth Vader came barrelling out of the throne room, firmly pulling a black-clad, weak-looking Rebel after him. 

Father and son ignored the weird looks they were getting from the Royal Guards and other fleeing and panicking Imperials as both their minds and attention were focused on avoiding explosion, flying debris and people and getting to the hangar bay as fast as they could. When they eventually got there, they weren’t surprised to find that at least half of the fighters and shuttles were destroyed.

“There! A good one!” Luke yelled over the commotion, pointing towards an intact _Lambda_ -class shuttle with his free hand. 

“I see it!” Vader shouted back. 

And they ran full-speed towards it. The Dark Lord tugged on his son’s arm to pull him closer to his side and Luke cried out as a stray shrapnel hit his right thigh in the same time, painfully burying itself in his skin. His knees buckled beneath him and he let out a gasp as he was starting to get dragged. Vader, sensing his son’s pain – and his sudden increase of resistance, stopped and hastily turned around, scanning him for injuries. Without thinking twice as soon as he saw his bleeding leg, he wrapped his good arm around Luke’s waist and threw him over his shoulder. Doubling the length of his strides, the Dark Lord ran up the boarding ramp and fell into the pilot’s seat after gently setting Luke down in the co-pilot’s seat. 

“Are you alright?” Vader asked as he powered-up the engines. “Don’t lie to me!” he snapped as Luke was about to deny his condition. “What happened?”

Luke glanced at his leg, which was bleeding abundantly. 

“I… ah… a shrapnel hit my leg while we were running… AH!” he yelped as Vader roughly raised the shuttle from the ground.

“You need medical attention”, his father rumbled. 

“I’m fine…”

Vader shot him a hard glare as a reply, certainly not believing him for a moment, and pushed the shuttle to full speed. The shuttle shuddered, but complied. Luke gripped his armrests at the sudden increase of speed and his eyes widened as the opening was completely engulfed by flames mere seconds after they left the hangar bay. The shuttle abruptly lurched at the force of the explosion, but both Luke and Vader had a tight hold, respectively on the armrests and the controls, which prevented them to be thrown forwards. 

Luke let out a shaky breath as the realization that they almost got killed dawned on him. His father looked at him, his expression behind the mask softening, and reached out to him with the Force in a reassuring and protective way. He remembered the first mission he had as a ten year-old Padawan, where Obi-Wan Kenobi and he almost got killed on multiple occasions. He certainly was badly shaken upon returning to the Jedi Temple and it took him quite some time before eventually getting rid of his plaguing nightmares. 

Luke’s stiff shoulders relaxed as the tension building up within him eased, and he instinctively leaned towards the cold but soothing dark swirls of his father’s Force tendrils. 

“Is there a medical bay on your Rebel ships?” Vader asked suddenly, shaking Luke from his serene state.

Luke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course there are medical bays on their Star Cruisers! They are not technologically behind! 

“The best medbay is on the _Redemption_ ”, the youth informed. “It’s the Star Cruiser on your right.”

Vader followed Luke’s pointed index finger and was met by the sight of a big Star Cruiser, the biggest of the whole Rebel fleet. The _Redemption_ was surrounded by two other Mon Calamari cruisers. Oddly enough, they were alone. No X-wings, nor other snub fighters were surrounding them as they usually did. Vader frowned as he noticed the lack of small ships. 

The youth, sensing his father’s burning question, smiled and turned his head to look at Vader’s shiny black helmet.

“The majority of the pilots are down on Endor”, he explained. “Celebrating”, he added with a grin. 

His father stared at him.

“ _Celebrating_?” he repeated, baffled. 

Luke shrugged, his smile becoming sheepish. Vader shook his head, but was prevented of commenting any further by the buzzing of the shuttle’s comm.

“Imperial shuttle, please identify.”

Luke bent towards the comm.

“General Madine, this is Commander Skywalker”, he informed. 

Vader swore he heard a gasp coming from the other end of the line.

“Commander?” Madine questioned. “I thought –”

“I’m very much alive, thank you General”, Luke replied, a hint of a smile in his voice. “But I need the permission to dock in the _Redemption_. I’m injured and so is my passenger.”

The Dark Lord beside him snorted, but was luckily not heard by Madine. Luke, however, shot him an amused glance. 

“Passenger?” Madine asked, bewildered. “What passenger?” 

Luke sighed and glanced at his father, who nodded. 

“It’s… it’s a long story”, Luke finally uttered, choosing not to reveal Vader’s identity yet. “I’ll explain everything once on board.”

Said Sith Lord looked at him questioningly, but said nothing. On the other side, Madine was tense with anticipation. Who could that mystery passenger be? Was it a Rebel-turned Imperial? A forgotten Rebel spy? An acquaintance they did not know about? Whoever it was, he or she was important enough that Luke took the time and effort to get him off of Endor or wherever the Commander was. 

“Permission granted”, he finally said. “You may dock in hangar bay delta.”

Luke released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“Thank you, General”, he whispered before cutting the connection. 

Vader turned the shuttle off his course and made his approach towards the second hangar opening of the _Redemption_ ’s starboard side. As the Dark Lord smoothly landed the transporter, he and Luke both noticed the space was mostly devoid of people, except for General Madine and two medics. Vader powered down the engine and stood up, towering over his son who was still comfortably sitting in his seat. Luke’s instinctively bent backwards as Vader made the move to pick him up. 

“I… I can walk!” he stammered. 

Vader shot him an exasperated look through the dark lenses of his mask. 

“Do I need to point out, _again_ , that you’re _injured_ , young one?” he admonished. 

“But –”

“No buts, son.”

Luke reluctantly let himself being lifted up bridal-style and cradled in his father’s arms. He hissed through clenched teeth at the sudden sharp pain coming from the deep wound in his thigh as the leg was abruptly moved. Vader shifted his hold and Luke found himself awkwardly pressed against the durasteel armour, the chest plate uncomfortably digging into his side. 

Vader shot a last glance at the viewport and the hangar bay in front of the shuttle before turning towards the landing ramp which started its descend. 

****

General Madine impatiently waited at the bottom, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in an unprofessional way. He straightened up as the shuttle’s landing ramp hissed open with a trail of clear white stem. However, his jaw dropped and he felt the blood drain from his face as he saw who exactly exited the shuttle, carrying the injured Commander Skywalker in his arms. The medics beside him all gasped and took a wise step back. 

“Darth Vader”, Madine spat, regaining his composure. 

Vader barely paid attention to him as he made his way towards the quavering doctors. 

“Bring him to your medical bay as fast as possible”, he rumbled. “His leg is injured and he has been electrocuted.”

The Rebels’ eyes widened in shock and made a move to remove their Commander from the Dark Lord’s grip when Madine intervened. 

“What makes you believe that we’ll listen to you?” he snarled. “And anyways, what in the nine Corellian hells are you doing here? How did you get here? We should get you –” 

“General, please…” Luke started, trying to set his feet on the ground. “Father, please let me go”, he added as he found his hold on him being tightened, again.

The medics gasped again, now followed by the Rebel General. They were all unaware of Luke’s parentage… until now. 

“I promised I would explain everything once we landed”, Luke sighed, pressing his head back on his father’s chest.

“You will talk later”, Vader grumbled as he stepped in front of the medics. “Right now you need to get yourself healed.”

“But… you…” Madine stammered.

“General, please”, Luke spoke once again. “He’s here to help. Please, you have to trust him.”

Madine’s glare went from Skywalker to Vader multiple times before settling again on Luke. He then sighed and passed a hand on his face in resignation.

“Fine”, he hissed. “But one move, only one, and you’ll join the Emperor six feet underground.”

Vader stayed silent for a few seconds, processing the General’s words.

“Fair enough”, he acknowledged. 

One of the doctors overcame his nervousness and beckoned for Vader to follow him. 

“This way, sir”, he said. 

Closely followed by the second medic, the Sith marched towards the medbay, securely holding his son who was growing weaker by the minute. 

****

Han and Leia were sitting on the grassy ground, their backs pressed against a thick tree trunk. Both of them were silent as they were staring up at the darkening sky. Behind them, the celebration has already started, screams and happy chanting echoing through the air, but the couple were in no mood of celebrating. They were deeply worried for Luke, who did not show up after the Death Star’s explosion. Something serious has happened to him and they both knew it. Leia sensed that he was still alive at the moment of the explosion, but his newly found brother’s Force presence had strongly dimmed since the past hour, so much that she was struggling to determine if he was still alive or was forever gone from the living world. 

The harsh sound of a comlink brought the Princess out of her train of thoughts. After shooting Han a questioning look, which was returned, she picked up the comlink and answered it. She was more than surprised to hear General Madine’s voice.

“Princess, I have some… news for you”, he said.

Leia frowned.

“What news, General?” she questioned.

“It’s about Commander Skywalker, ma’am.”

Both Han and Leia’s eyes went wide in astonishment. Han let out an incredulous laugh.”

“Luke is alive?” Leia exclaimed.

“Yes”, came the answer. “However, he got injured and is currently in a bacta tank.”

“Will he be alright?”

“Yes. But, I’m afraid our current situation on board the Redemption is… how can I say it… complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

“You see… Commander Skywalker was not alone when he came…”

Han and Leia exchanged a worried look, fearing suddenly for their friend’s – for Leia’s case, brother – well-being. 

“And?” Leia asked in a small voice.

“He was accompanied by… by Darth Vader.”

****

“He’ll have to be placed in a bacta tank in order for his leg to heal properly”, the first medic informed Vader, who was standing by Luke’s bed. “Plus, he’s suffering from minor bone decalcification resulting from the powerful electrical charges he received back on the Death Star. Luckily, he does not require a bone marrow transplant, but I’ll have to administrate him a special medication before and after the bacta treatment.”

Vader nodded, guilt washing over him as he glanced at his unconscious son. 

“Will he be alright?” he asked as softly as the vocoder permitted him. 

The medic stared at him in surprise before answering.

“He will be, but he’ll need to rest for the upcoming weeks.”

Vader nodded again.

“The tank is prepared”, a medi-droid informed, rolling out of the adjacent room. “Is the patient ready for immersion?”

The doctor nodded an affirmative before looking back at the Sith.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait outside for the next couple of hours, sir”, he said. 

“I understand”, Vader whispered.

He tentatively passed a gloved hand on Luke’s forehead, brushing away a strand of stray hair.

It was when he stepped out in the hallway did he fully realize the situation he found himself in. He was on a Rebel Alliance Star Cruiser, surrounded by his once sworn enemies. Passing technicians and Rebels all shot him a withering look as they spotted him standing in the alley. 

The events of the last couple of hours mercilessly caught up with him and he felt himself growing more lightheaded by the second. He pressed a hand against the neat white wall of the hallway in a hopeless attempt to stabilize himself, but he lost his balance anyways and he collapsed on the floor with a heavy thud.


	3. Waking Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I'm so sorry for this long inactivity! I had a bunch of exams (for which I still don't know the results) and they took all my free time. I graduated high school last week (YASSSS!!!) and I'm finally on summer break so now I have all my time to continue both this story and _Escape From the Darkness_. :D 
> 
> Speaking of _Escape_ , I really don't know when I'll upload the next chapter since I have this huge writer's block which refuses to leave. I hope I'll get over it soon... If you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to leave me a message. :)
> 
> Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! :D

Luke slowly opened his eyes as the drowsiness gradually left him. His body still felt heavy though, his limbs and fingers felt stiff when he tried to move them. Through heavy, half-opened eyelids, Luke stared at his hands which he lifted up to look at them. His mechanical hand was on, though the protective black glove was pulled off. He felt a light throbbing pain coming from the thin line where flesh met wires. 

Sighing, Luke tore his gaze from his hands and continued his inspection of his healing body. His flesh hand was slightly paler than usual, even paler than the synthskin of his other hand. There was only one logical explanation for this unusual decolouration: bacta. According to his pale skin tone and the faint smell emanating from his body, he was immersed in a bacta tank. For how long, he didn’t know. 

Luke looked down at his body and noticed he was wearing a white hospital gown. Tentatively, he pushed the light bed sheets aside and he gasped at the sight in front of him. The large gash which was once cutting through his thigh was now just a faint pink line and the bruises were all gone. He smiled slightly and laid back down. 

“I see you’re awake”, a soft voice chimed. 

Luke opened his eyes again to find one of the _Redemption_ ’s medics looking down at him, a small smile turning his thin lips upwards in a sympathetic way. 

“How long was I out for?” Luke asked, his voice coming out hoarse.

He quickly cleared his throat before focusing back on the doctor.

“Around four hours”, the medic replied. “You are very lucky you weren’t more injured, considering the circumstances you were faced with.”

Luke frowned.

“What do you mean?” he asked. 

“You have received quite a prodigious amount of electrical charges, which caused you to suffer from bone decalcification. The voltage was high enough to cause the damage to be irreparable, needing you to have a bone marrow transplant. However, you managed to escape with only a minor injury.”

Luke gaped at him in shock.

“It’s currently being treated with medication, and the bacta tank where you were immersed in helped too”, the medic continued grimly. 

Skywalker nodded and cast his eyes down.

“It’s thanks to… your father that you got here quickly”, the man finished. 

Luke’s head snapped up at the mention of his father.

“Is he alright?” he asked, his voice heavy with concern.

He grew alarmed as the medic nervously bit his bottom lip. 

“Where is he?” Luke asked more harshly. 

The medic slowly stepped over a drawn curtain which the Jedi hadn’t noticed before and pulled it back, revealing a bed identical to Luke’s. 

Luke gasped as he recognized the dark form lying motionlessly on the cot. It was Vader. His mechanical breathing was labored and raspy and his wrists and ankles were bound to the bed. His severed right hand has been replaced by a new black mechanical one, similar to the one he has lost on the Death Star. Externally, he looked fine, but Luke knew he was far from it. The young man poked at their shared mental link, only to receive no answer. 

_“That’s not good”_ , Luke thought.

“What happened to him?” he asked slowly, his eyes not leaving his father’s red-tinted eye pieces.

“I don’t know exactly”, the medic replied, an icy tone edging his voice. “He passed out in the hallway shortly after your immersion and he hasn’t regained full consciousness since. He was often muttering some unintelligible words and calling out to someone. But it simply might be fatigue, nothing to be worried about.”

Luke frowned. He didn’t like the casual way the doctor was speaking about his father’s condition, but he brushed it off. 

“Who did he call out to?” he asked.

“You.”

Luke’s breath caught in his throat. Vader was calling out to him?

“I replaced his hand and hooked him up to a heart monitor”, the medic continued, preventing Vader’s son from thinking further about his father’s unusual behaviour. “And I had to cuff him. You know… security measures…”

The Jedi nodded.

“Of course, I understand…” he muttered. 

The medic stood there awkwardly for a few moments, then cleared his throat.

“If you need anything, just let me know.”

Without waiting for a reply, he hurried out from the room, anxious to get away from the unconscious Sith Lord. 

Luke stared after him for a while before shrugging and turning back towards Vader. He slowly sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. After pushing himself up, he made his way with trembling legs towards his father’s bedside, where he sat down. 

“Father”, he said, both mentally and physically. “Can you hear me?” 

Vader did not move, nor acknowledged his son’s words, but it didn’t discourage Luke from trying again. 

_“Father”_ , he repeated, only mentally this time. _“I’m here.”_

BANG!

Luke literally jumped up to the ceiling from the sudden sound and whirled around just in time to see Leia Organa storming in the room, followed closely by Han Solo. The two of them were still wearing their ample camouflage outfit from their mission and they wore an identical expression of worry and anger. His twin sister’s hair was completely dishevelled and loosely hanging on her back in a messy braid. 

Han, well… looked like usual. His untidy brown hair was hanging in his eyes and his right hand was unconsciously hovering above his blaster. 

Not having been celebrating down on Endor, too busy being concerned about Skywalker’s wellbeing, the couple left the moon as soon as Leia received the call from General Madine. The Princess felt a great wave of relief washing over her as she heard her brother was alive, only to be morphed into incredulity as she learned who was accompanying him. Darth Vader. Darth _kriffing_ Vader. The Second-in-Command of the Empire, the Emperor’s former right hand-man. Killer of billions, destroyer of her home planet. Their – no – _his_ father. As long as she’ll live, she will never ever accept that… _monster_ as her father. For her, Bail Organa was – and will forever remain her true father. Just thinking about the black-clad, masked Sith is sending chills down her spine. 

Leia’s full lips pressed into a thin line as soon as she spotted the source of her nightmares lying on a medical cot, but her features relaxed when she noticed her twin brother standing right beside his bed, icy-blue eyes as wide as saucers. 

“Are you alright?” she asked, frowning a little. 

Luke shook his head before glaring at her.

“You guys scared me!” he admonished.

“Eh! Sorry, kid!” Han grinned. “We were just in a hurry to see you!”

Luke smiled at his best friend’s words. Leia suddenly lost her composure and embraced her brother tightly, sobbing hard into his shoulder.

“Oh, Luke!” she cried. “We were so worried! I thought… we thought…”

The youth returned the bone-crushing embrace with equal intensity. 

“It’s alright, Leia”, he whispered reassuringly. “I’m here, I’m fine. Everything is alright…”

Feeling very much like a third wheel, Han shrugged and cast his eyes down. Luke noticed the movement and opened an arm for him.

“Come here, you!” he grinned.

Han smiled and wordlessly accepted the invitation.

“I’m so happy you’re alright, kid”, he said. “When the Death Star exploded, we feared the worst…”

A faint grunt interrupted the emotional reunion, causing the three Rebels to raise their heads and look down towards the source of the sound, which happened to be the adjacent cot. Luke quickly tore himself from the hug to fully turn towards Vader, who was just beginning to stir.

“Well, look who’s awake…” Han muttered, shooting a look of pure antipathy towards the weak Sith. 

Skywalker ignored his friend’s sudden change of demeanor and rushed to his father’s bedside.

“Father!” he exclaimed, lightly shaking him by the shoulder. 

A slight turn of the helmet was the only answer he received. 

“Leia, call the medic!” Luke called out.

“Don’t need to!” a voice shouted from behind them.

All eyes fell upon the medic, who was just entering the room, his white lab coat billowing behind him like a cape. Leia and Han both took a step backwards to allow him to get to Vader’s bed.

“Skywalker, I kindly ask you to return to your bed, you’re not supposed to be running around”, the doctor admonished. 

“Sorry, sir”, Luke started. “It’s just –”

“…Luke…?”

It was barely a whisper, but it was loud enough to make the whole room freeze in its tracks. Almost. As fast as a lightning bolt, Luke kneeled down beside Vader and took his left hand in his own hands, lightly squeezing them in a comforting way. 

“I’m here, Father”, he said.

Vader’s helmeted head turned towards his son. The Sith Lord slowly attempted raised a feeble hand, but was met by the resistance of the cuff. His head snapped towards it before glaring back at Luke.

“What’s this?” he snarled, his voice still weak, but getting stronger. “Where am I?”

“You’re in the _Redemption_ ’s medical bay”, the medic explained while checking his vital signs. “You collapsed in the hallway due to serious fatigue and I had to move you here. You haven’t been fully awake since, only drifting in and out of consciousness on a couple of occasions… until now. About the cuffs, well… I’m sorry but security measures are applied where you are concerned, Lord Vader.”

Vader only nodded.

“How are you feeling?” the doctor continued.

“Like I’ve been stomped upon by a horde of banthas…” the Sith mumbled.

“Too bad it did not happen in real life…” Han muttered, only to be silenced by a glare shot by Luke.

Vader ignored the comment and continued to scrutinize the medic. He frowned when he sensed him growing more and more nervous by the minute. Luke sensed that too and looked at him expectantly. The medic cleared his throat before continuing.

“I examined your injuries while you were sedated, sir, and… ah… I’m afraid to say that they could and should have been cured a long time ago.”

Vader made a sudden movement, like he wanted to sit up.

“What?” he asked, gaping at the man in shock. 

“Your injuries, even though they are serious, are indeed fixable.”

“That’s impossible! Sidious said that there was nothing to be done! That’s why he put me in this damned suit!”

“Who?”

“Emperor Palpatine”, Luke answered in his father’s place.

“I see”, the medic nodded, turning his attention back to the baffled Dark Lord. “Well, Lord Vader, I’m sorry, but your suit has actually caused you more harm than help.”

“Are you saying it only worsened his wounds?” Luke asked, wide-eyed.

“Correct.”

Vader leaned back into his pillow, ignoring the sudden jolt of pain as the cuff pulled his arms forwards. He was horrified. Twenty years. He had believed for more than twenty years that the injuries inflicted upon him by Kenobi were irremediable, forever rendering him dependant to his heavy black armour. Fury boiled in his veins as he recollected his master’s lies and the two decades of pain and suffering caused by the suit. The bastard! He was using him for his pain, using it to satisfy his own twisted desires! Pain is what caused Vader to completely descend into the Dark Side, shattering his soul in a most agonizing way. Sidious exploited that pain to forge his newfound apprentice into a machine running purely on hatred and bloodlust, a monster seeking nothing but revenge and power. He had it all planed inside his coal-like soul since the day he met the innocent and nervous nine-year-old little boy who was Anakin Skywalker, all those years ago.

Vader clenched his fists until the leather creaked and shut his eyes tight to prevent the tears from escaping. All four Rebels paled as a low growl emanated from the Dark Lord’s chest. Luke slightly frowned and sat on the bed.

“Father…” he said in a low voice. 

Vader only batted his son’s hands away as best as he could.

“Father”, Luke repeated, a bit more firmly. “Look at me.”

Slowly, the Sith Lord looked at his son. Despite the mask, the son found his father’s eyes and looked directly into them. 

“We’ll find a way to fix your injuries”, he promised in a serious tone. “I promise.”

Vader didn’t say anything, only looked away once more. The medic, who was exchanging some words with the Rebel princess and the former smuggler, stepped in the conversation.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but its best if we let Lord Vader rest”, he spoke. “He only just woke up and we already put him under considerable stress.”

Luke nodded and stood up after giving his father’s cuffed hand a last squeeze.

“Commander Skywalker, if you’ll please follow me”, the doctor added, motioning Luke to follow him.

Luke wordlessly followed him to an examination room. 

“We’ll be in the Command center!” Leia called after him.

At her brother’s silent acknowledgment, she grabbed Han by the hand and, without casting her father a glance, she ran out from the medical bay.

****

Once in the hallway and out of hearing range, Han Solo let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. 

“Well, that was –” he started, only to be cut by Leia.

“No comments!” she hissed.

Han looked taken aback by the woman’s acerbic tone.

“Leia”, he said slowly. “I know you hate him, I hate him too, but –”

“No!” Leia snarled. “Shut up! Don’t say anything! I don’t want to hear about… about _him_! Now, we need to inform the Alliance High Command about this and decide what to do with him.”

Han sighed and dropped the subject. He knew the Princess well enough to know that an argument with her would lead them nowhere and that she was one hell of a stubborn person. Once she had her mind settled on something, even a natural disaster couldn’t make her change her mind. 

He followed Leia without resistance to the Command center where he was met by Mon Mothma and General Madine. The two leaders looked at them with a grave look on their face.

“Princess Organa, General Solo”, Mothma spoke, slightly dipping her head in respect. 

“Commander Mothma, General Madine”, Leia replied, imitating her movement. 

“I’ve just learned that Lord Darth Vader is on board”, Mothma continued.

It took Leia a big amount of self-control not to make a face at that statement.

“That is correct, Commander”, she confirmed. “He’s currently in the medbay, along with Commander Skywalker. They’re both healing from injuries inflicted upon them on the Death Star.”

Madine cocked an eyebrow.

“Is that so?” he asked, a little skeptical.

“Yes, he was lying on a cot when we left”, Han answered. 

“What about Commander Skywalker?” 

“The medic informed us that he was recently immersed in a bacta tank and is recovering very well”, the Princess continued. “He was standing by Vader’s bedside when we entered the medical bay.”

Madine nodded, a small grimace twisting his features at the mention of the Sith’s name. Mothma chewed her bottom lip for a moment, thinking, before picking up a datapad. 

“I’m going to call the other leaders for a council meeting”, she informed the others. 

And with that, she left the room.

****

Around two hours later, the Alliance High Command finally concluded the meeting with a decision. Many leaders wanted to execute Vader right in the medbay, but Mon Mothma and General Dodonna rejected that idea. After some arguments, which almost turned into a fight, they all agreed to make Vader stand trial before sentencing him for all the crimes he has committed. While some were still skeptical about the solution, all the Rebels, including those outside the High Command were strongly defending one main idea: Darth Vader had to die.


	4. Assassination Attempt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm sorry for this long delay... And I just started college two weeks ago so I have no possible idea when I'll have time to continue my stories.

Vader was very much awake when Luke came shuffling back to their room. While his face regained most of its natural colour, the youth still looked quite tired and was yawning every now and then. He let out a sigh when he sat down on his bed and smiled when he made eye contact with his father. 

“Are you alright, son?” Vader blurted out without thinking.

Luke’s smile only grew.

“I’m alright, thanks”, he replied. “Just tired.”

“I can see that.”

Vader got a chuckle in response. 

“Dr. Merany just examined me and declared that I’m in perfect health, but I’ll have to stay here for a week in case my condition worsens”, Luke continued while absently passing a hand over the little stubble on his chin. “While I highly doubt that–”

“I agree with the medic”, Vader interjected. “You need rest. The last thing we need is you running around aimlessly in the ship, wanting to go on a mission.”

Luke’s eyebrows shot up.

“Funny to hear that, coming from you”, he teased.

He got startled when he felt a reprimanding poke through their bond. 

“This is not a joking matter”, Vader rumbled. “It is important that you rest, especially after everything you went through.” _‘I am worried about you’_ , he added silently, carefully shielding his thoughts. 

Though Luke didn’t hear that last statement, he felt a myriad of emotions passing through his father’s heart. He smiled softly at that and made himself comfortable in his bed. 

“What do you think the Alliance High Command will decide about you?” the youth asked, changing the subject.

 _‘What indeed?’_ Vader mused. While he fulfilled the prophecy of the Chosen One by killing Palpatine and saved his son from a certain death, he knew he still had a long way to go to fully accept the Light Side of the Force once more. He was not the man he was for the past twenty years, but he will never become the same man he was before his fall. The Hero with no Fear was all but a memory, the life of another man who stopped existing when his Angel died. As Darth Vader, he crushed all memories of that life, only for it to slowly resurface from the moment he learned about his son. As Darth Vader, he caused the death of millions of innocent people, the destruction of worlds, including his daughter’s home planet and the near-extinction of the Jedi Order. These are all actions that will never be forgotten, nor forgiven. While a good part of the Rebel Alliance are old enough to remember the Clone Wars, the name Darth Vader has darkened the name Anakin Skywalker, perhaps forever, therefore losing all respect and hero worship they had for him. What has been done cannot be undone, no matter how much Vader wishes he could turn back time all the way to that famous night in the Chancellor’s office to make the right decision and kill Palpatine instead of Mace Windu. If only he could change that one little decision which sunk the entire galaxy into darkness…

“I don’t know, my son”, the former Sith said, slowly shaking his head. “I do not know.”

Luke nodded.

“I’m sure they’ll understand. At least, when I’ll explain everything what transpired on the Death Star and after.”

Vader sighed. _‘I wish I had your optimism, young one’_ , he shook his head again. 

“You’re tired”, he said out loud. “Rest, we’ll discuss this tomorrow.”

His son nodded and lay down before pulling the thin blanket on himself. Vader watched him for a while, then settled to. He was about to close his eyes when Dr. Merany entered the room. 

“Good evening, Lord Vader”, he greeted. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

When he got no answer, he continued:

“I’m just going to examine you to make sure everything is alright.”

Vader nodded in response. The medic checked his vital signs, nodding once and then and scribbling some notes on his datapad. When he finished, he pulled a small chair and sat down.

“Now, for your injuries”, he started. 

Now that attracted the former Sith’s attention. He sat up and looked at the doctor, anxious to know what he was about to say. 

“Before you say anything, please hear me out”, Dr. Merany continued. “You have two choices. The first option is to get treated here. We can heal your burns and other external injuries, but you’ll need surgical intervention to be able to breathe without the mask and live without the suit. You’ll be given new prosthetics so you can function normally. The second option is much more costly and takes much longer to get it done. For that one, you’ll have to go to Polis Massa, which has the best medical facility in the entire galaxy. They recently perfected a new kind of healing procedure which is organ regeneration. Basically, what they’re doing is that they take a couple of cells from your damaged organs to create new organs before transplanting them into your body.”

Vader was astounded.

“Organ… regeneration?” he stammered. 

Dr. Merany nodded and Vader looked at his hands. 

“Yes, as I said, it’s a very long procedure and–”

“I chose the second option”, the former Dark Lord cut without second thought.

The medic stared at him. 

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I mean–” 

“I’m positive.” 

Dr. Merany nodded and stood up, ready to leave the room. 

“In that case, I’m going to prepare your medical file”, he said. “I’m going to leave you to rest now. We’re going to continue to talk about this tomorrow. Goodnight, Lord Vader.” 

The harsh white lights were dimmed a little as Vader lay back down. He managed to surrender to sleep surprisingly fast, oblivious of the warnings the Force was whispering to him.

****

“Is he in there?” 

“Yeah.”

“Are you _sure_?” 

“Carler, how many times should we tell you that he cannot go anywhere with his handcuffs?”

“I don’t know, man!” Carler exclaimed. “It’s just highly probable that he broke them and escaped!”

“Shhh!” 

“With his injuries? Nah!” 

A group of four Rebels silently made their way through the hallways, blasters in hand. Every now and then, they would check their surroundings, ducking behind a shelf or hiding in a cupboard whenever they heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

“You guys know the plan?” the first Rebel whispered. 

“Yeah! We sneak in, we shoot him and we sneak back out, right?” the fourth Rebel whispered back.

“It’s not that easy, Aleiss!” Carler hissed. “Skywalker’s there too, remember?”

“Oh, right…” 

“We’ll have to be extra careful and we’ll have to get the hell out of there as fast as we can, alright?” the first Rebel continued.

“Yep!” the three others acknowledged. 

“Are your blasters set for ‘kill’?”

“Yep!”

“Alright, we’re here. Let’s do this.”

****

Luke Skywalker was somewhere between sleep and consciousness when the medical ward’s main door hissed opened and four shadows slipped in. He tensed as he watched the small group approach his bed. 

“Is he awake?” a voice whispered.

Luke quickly snapped his eyes shut and pretended to sleep. He sensed a presence hovering by his bedside for a couple of moments before it retreated. 

“No, he’s asleep”, a second voice whispered. 

“Good”, the first voice commented and they shuffled deeper into the room. 

Luke opened his eyes again and reached for the four intruders with the Force, freezing with absolute horror when their intentions became clear. 

_“No!”_ he yelled mentally as one of the Rebels pulled back the curtain sharply.

“STOP!” 

The scream tore through his throat before he could stop it and he was on his feet within the next second. The four intruders turned around sharply, startled, but before they could do something, much less say something, the leader found himself being hurled to the wall by a Force-push. He slid down to the floor, knocked unconscious. The three others quickly took a step back from a very awake Vader’s bedside, their eyes not leaving Luke’s trembling form who still had his hand raised. 

“Get… away… from him”, the Jedi hissed slowly, his heart beating fast from the sudden rush of adrenaline and anger coursing through his veins.

A deep roar suddenly shook the medbay and Luke watched with dismay Vader tearing his handcuffs open and charging towards the three terrified Rebels. He picked one up by the neck and violently slammed him into the wall, denting it in the process.

“FATHER!” Luke exclaimed in panic as the whole room started to shake from the Dark Lord’s dark fury.

The objects stilled but Vader didn’t ease his grip on the chocking man. Knowing he had his father’s attention, Luke continued boldly:

“Please don’t kill them.”

Vader’s helmet snapped towards him.

“Are you out of your _mind_?!” he boomed. “They barged into this room to _kill_ me and you’re asking me to _spare them_?”

The young Jedi swallowed, then raised his chin and he bravely met his father’s furious glare.

“Yes”, he replied fearlessly. 

He then glanced down at the floor before moving his gaze to the three Rebels who were moments away from passing out from terror. 

“Let the High Command decided about their fate”, he continued, his voice quitter. 

Vader snorted at this, but his son ignored it. 

“Don’t kill him. You already stepped back on the path of the Light, don’t abandon it just yet…”

Vader stiffened at this. 

“WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE!?” 

All eyes went to the door where a very pale-faced Dr. Merany just entered, closely followed by the members of the Alliance High Command. Mon Mothma gasped as she saw the scene in front of her and her hands flew automatically to her mouth. Beside her, General Madine shot a murderous look at Vader who was still firmly holding the now-unconscious Rebel soldier against the wall.

“Lord Vader, please release that man”, General Dodonna asked diplomatically. 

When he did not comply right away, Luke shot him a warning look. Vader grumbled a string of very offensive Huttese curses under his breath – which were luckily not loud enough to be picked up by the vocoder – but obeyed. The man fell on the polished floor with a disturbing thump. 

_“Thank you”_ , Luke sent through their bond. 

Vader did not react the slightest. 

“What happened in here?” Dr. Merany repeated. 

The former Sith opened his mouth to start ranting, but his son was quicker.

“I woke up to find these four men walking into the medical bay armed with blasters”, Luke explained, pointing with his chin towards four discarded blasters laying on the floor a few feet away from them. 

Madine immediately went and picked them up. 

“I saw them looking at me so I quickly closed my eyes”, Luke continued. “Once they were sure I was sleeping, they walked towards my father’s bed and pulled the curtain away. That’s when I sprang into action. They… they wanted to…”

“They tried to assassinate me”, Vader rumbled, the leader of his gloves creaking as he clenched his fists. 

“Not that I blame them for trying to…” Madine muttered.

The room temperature dropped by several degrees and Mothma shot the general a hard look. 

“I will not tolerate such despicable words to be uttered by anyone!” she hissed angrily. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, please”, Dodonna sighed. “We have some serious matters to discuss.” 

Luke’s eyes met Leia’s, who was standing by the doorway along with Han, Lando and two Rebel soldiers. She had her senator mask on, but her eyes were soft as she watched her brother. Dodonna’s voice brought the twins’ attention back to him. 

“The council meeting came to an end and we came to one decision”, he finished. 

Luke licked his dry lips as the general’s eyes settled on the four rogue Rebels who now all regained consciousness. 

“Clearly, some of us were quite impatient and decided to disobey our clear orders and try to take on an unarmed prisoner in the worst and most foolish ways possible”, Dodonna said sternly. “Your actions will not go unpunished. Guards, take them to the brig.”

At once, the two Rebel soldiers by the door stepped out, took two men each and exited the room. Satisfied, the old Rebel general turned back towards the small group and his gaze met Vader’s. 

“Lord Vader, you will meet us in the council chamber tomorrow at 1300 where you will stand trial for all the crimes you have committed.”

Skywalker dropped his gaze to the floor and managed to stifle a sob. Vader stiffened beside him, but nodded his understanding. 

“I… We sincerely apologize for what happened here”, Mon Mothma spoke up, looking genuinely sorry. “We assure you that this kind of actions will not happen again.”

Vader didn’t answer. Dodonna cleared his throat. 

“Well, looks like we’re done here”, he said awkwardly. “Remember, tomorrow at 1300.”

“We’ll be there”, Luke confirmed. 

He glanced briefly at Leia and smiled at her before the Alliance High Command members left the medbay, leaving the father and the son alone with Dr. Merany. The latter was awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other. 

“If you need anything…” he started, but Luke cut him.

“We’re fine”, he smiled. 

The doctor nodded and disappeared once more in his office. As soon as he was out of sight, Vader stormed towards a counter and started to rummage through various containers. 

“Father, what are you doing?” Luke asked, frowning. 

“I have to leave”, came the simple reply. 

The young Jedi’s eyebrows shot up. 

“What?” he choked out with an incredulous laugh. “What do you mean you have to leave?” 

The former Sith whirled around sharply and glared down at his son. 

“Don’t you see?” he hissed. “They want me dead! All of them, not just those four renegades! I caused the death of many people, I was not called ‘The Destroyer of Worlds’ for nothing, Luke!”

When his son sucked in a harsh breath, he sighed. When he spoke again, his voice was much calmer and softer, sounding more like Anakin’s than Vader’s. 

“I am a wanted man, Luke. For the last twenty years, I have committed many unnameable crimes, each more horrifying than the other. What I’ve done cannot be undone. You, my dear son, on the other hand, have your whole life ahead of you. You must go… find other Force sensitives, recreate the Jedi Order –”

“No!” Luke cut in. “I’m _not_ leaving you! We’ll tell them everything! They’ll understand!”

Vader brought a hand up to his son’s face and gently wiped a tear. 

“I wish it would be that easy, Luke”, he said softly. “But it isn’t. I’m known as Darth Vader. My actions have forever darkened my name and my actions from another lifetime.”

Luke was crying openly by now.

“I shall go in exile”, his father finished. “Far away from this conflict and both the Alliance and the remnants of the Empire. Do you see now why I have to go?”

The young Jedi slowly nodded.

“But you’re a valuable ally to us”, he said. “You can help us win this war once and for all!”

Vader shook his head.

“I’m afraid not”, he sighed. “My presence will only cause anger and hatred. It would have been better if I would have been the one being electrocuted by Palpatine, not you…”

“Don’t say that! I saved you! We destroyed the Sith and brought back the good in you!”

Luke sighed when he got no reply. This argument was obviously bringing them nowhere. Shaking off his father’s hand from his cheek, the young man turned around and started to pace the room. He felt Vader’s eyes glued to his back, but he didn’t stop his pacing. He had to think of a good place where his father could stay without putting his life at risk. 

He suddenly stopped walking and raised his head, eyes sparkling. He had an idea. Putting on his serious mask again, Luke turned around and walked back to his father.

“Go to the Dagobah system”, he said. 

Beneath his helmet, Vader raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“Dagobah?” he asked. “What for?” 

Luke froze, suddenly not knowing how to continue the subject. How would Vader react when he would learn about Master Yoda and his Jedi training? He was still a Sith after all, if not partially. Luke did not want to betray his Jedi master, but he couldn’t let his father be killed either by the people he considered as friends…

“That’s… It’s a sacred place”, he finally spoke, choosing his words carefully. “It’s strong with the Force. You’ll be safe there.” _‘More like the Dark Side’_ , he mentally chided himself. _‘Nice going, Luke.’_

Vader silently chewed on the words as he pondered Luke’s suggestion. Dagobah was an uninhabited swamp planet, pretty much unknown or massively avoided. 

“Strong with the Force?” he asked at last. 

Luke nodded. He decided to tell everything.

“It was where I continued my Jedi training with Master Yoda until… you know… Bespin”, he blurted out. 

Vader stiffened. Incredulity swept through their bond.

“Yoda?” he whispered. “I didn’t know he’s still alive…” 

His son frowned a little as the former Sith’s tone was much less aggressive than he expected it to be.

“Not anymore”, he answered.

His father didn’t reply for a long while. 

“I’m going”, he said with renewed determination. 

Luke’s eyes softened and he nodded. 

“If you want to leave before the day cycle kicks in, we have to leave immediately”, he informed. 

Vader nodded and peaked through the little window on the medbay door. 

“There are two guards”, he noted. “We’ll have to dispatch them. It’s weird, they haven’t been there before…”

Skywalker bit his lower lip. He didn’t like the idea at all, but what choice did they have? He was ready to risk everything to get his father to safety. 

“There must have been posted there by Mothma after the… incident”, Luke said. “On the count of three…” he added in a whisper. 

Father and son posted themselves on each side of the door, and when the signal was given, they both unlocked it and pushed one guard to the opposite wall, hard enough to knock them unconscious. 

“Quick!” Luke whispered. “The hangar bay is that way!” 

They ran as fast as they could. The memory of them running in a similar way through the corridors of the Death Star popped into Luke’s mind and he quickly locked it behind his mental shields. He did not want his father to become more anxious than he already was from past events.

They were relieved to find the hangar empty. They stopped in front of a small one-man fighter. Luke and Vader looked at each other, each of them not knowing what to say.

“Will you be alright?” Luke finally asked.

His father nodded an affirmative as he looked at the ship.

Luke sighed, his heart heavy with sadness.

“May the Force be with you, Father”, he murmured. 

“May the Force be with you, my son”, Vader answered.

He then pulled his son into a tight embrace, which surprised him, but the boy happily returned the gesture. How long were they like this? One minute? Five? It doesn’t matter, because when they finally let go of each other, Luke felt comforted and more optimistic than before. Vader nodded in farewell and climbed into the small fighter. Skywalker watched the retreating ship, his eyes filled with tears. 

Leaning back on his seat, Vader punched the coordinates for Dagobah, then closed his eyes.

 _'Stay strong, my son'_ , he thought as his ship entered hyperspace, looking like it’s been swallowed by the darkness of space.


	5. Dagobah

Luke stood in the hangar bay, staring at the spot where his father had disappeared moments ago. His eyes were filled with stubborn tears he couldn’t prevent from escaping. His fists were clenching and unclenching as he tried to swallow the knot that was painfully constricting his throat.   
He was happy that his father was going somewhere safe, but he couldn’t help but be infinitely saddened to see him leaving right after they saw each other for the first time since the traumatic events of Bespin. He was worried too; what if something happened to him on Dagobah? 

“Luke!” a voice exclaimed from somewhere behind.

Luke turned around to see Leia running towards him.

“What are you doing here?” Leia asked. 

Luke froze. What was he going to tell her? He cannot tell her, nor anyone that he helped Vader escape! He had to invent something and fast.

“I… had to go for a walk…” the young man stammered.

Leia stared at him, clearly not believing his lame excuse.

“Come, I’ll escort you back to the medical ward”, she said, taking her brother’s arm. 

Luke shook it free.

“I don’t need an escort!” he retorted. “I’m perfectly capable of going back myself!”

“I insist.”

Luke sighed, defeated.

“Fine…”

The twins continued their walk in silence. While Leia was calm, Luke, on the other hand, was sweating nervously as he recalled the two guards he had to knock unconscious in order to get his father out.

Said guards were just coming around when the two Skywalkers approached the medical bay. Leia gasped while Luke bit his lip.

“Commander!” one of them exclaimed. “There you are!”

“What happened here?” Leia asked, an icy tone lacing her voice. “Why are you sitting on the floor like that?” she added to the second guard who was still sitting and rubbing his head. 

“It was _him _”, the second guard grumbled. “Darth Vader. He escaped. He knocked us unconscious by pushing us into that wall.”__

__He pointed to the opposite wall to prove his point._ _

__“When I didn’t see you after I woke up, I feared the worst”, the first guard added._ _

__“ESCAPED?!?” Leia cried out._ _

__She turned towards Luke and frowned when she took sight of his very pale face. Without a word, she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him inside the medbay, not without telling the guards to report the situation to the Alliance High Command._ _

__The Princess then glared at her brother, who was nervously shifting from one foot to the other._ _

__“Did you have anything to do with this?” she asked in a low voice._ _

__“W-what makes you thing so?” Luke stammered._ _

__Leia snorted._ _

__“Obviously the guards did not know you were gone ‘for a walk’, like you clumsily put it back there!” she shouted, making Luke flinch. “Speaking of the hangar bay, it was obvious you were watching a ship depart because no one looks at the force field like that and I saw a ship missing. So, I’m asking you one last time: did you help Vader escape?”_ _

__Her brother sighed._ _

__“Yes, I did”, he answered quietly._ _

__Leia’s features softened, but her eyes remained cold._ _

__“Why?” came the question._ _

__“Because he knows he’s our enemy”, Luke replied, meeting his sister’s eyes without fear. “He knows that his presence will only cause us trouble and bring us anger, fear and hatred. You want him dead, and he also knows that. He sincerely regrets all the atrocities he had committed even if no one will ever forgive him for them. But I do, for which he is so grateful you can’t even imagine. He also left to give me the chance…”_ _

__His voice broke and he had to stop there to prevent his tears from running down on his cheeks. He took a deep breath after wiping them._ _

__“Don’t you see?” he continued. “He had no choice but leave! We wouldn’t give him a chance to fully redeem himself. He would have been a powerful ally to defeat what remains of the Empire, but he was sentenced for execution. He thought exile would be the best for all of us, not just him.”_ _

__“That means he could be collaborating with the Empire secretly”, Leia muttered._ _

__Luke shook his head._ _

__“We took all his communication devices from him, remember?” he asked. “And anyways, he doesn’t care about the blasted Empire anymore.”_ _

__The two siblings stared at the floor in silence, neither knowing what to say else. A few moments passed before Luke tentatively cleared his throat._ _

__“So…” he started. “You won’t tell this to the High Command, right?”_ _

__Leia tilted her head to meet her twin’s shiny blue eyes._ _

__“As much as I hate it” she eventually said. “I won’t.”_ _

__Luke’s sigh of relief echoed through the room._ _

__“But I _will_ tell them he has escaped”, she concluded. “And you better turn these cameras back on before someone grows suspicious”, she added with a half-smile. _ _

__The Jedi’s eyes widened before he broke into a smile._ _

__****_ _

__Vader was met by the dark green orb of Dagobah when he reverted his small fighter to sub light. His scarred lips pulled into small a grimace at the sight. That planet did not look hospitable at all. And it was _very_ strong in the Force on the top of that. _ _

__The former Sith maneuvered his fighter through the trees and other odd-looking vegetation, not without great difficulties. Fog covered his few entirely and all the signals were lost. He hit a couple of trees before he finally crashed into a swamp. Vader swore under his breath. Well, that was a good start. He was lucky he was alone. If Luke had seen him crash, he would never live that down._ _

__He opened the cockpit and climbed out. When he thought nothing could go worse, his boot slipped on the wet ladder and he fell face-first in the mud. Vader got up, his normally pale cheeks red with embarrassment beneath his now-muddy black helmet, and looked around. All he saw was the same annoying combination of trees, vegetation and murky waters. Was there anything else on this kriffing planet? And where was he going to go? Luke told him about Yoda living here, but how was he going to find the place? He didn’t see anything which resembled a hut or any form of habitation…_ _

___“Use the Force.”_ _ _

__Vader tensed at the voice. Who said that? He looked around but of course, there was no one in sight. The Force. Huh. Like it was going to be that easy. Frowning, he started to walk in the direction he thought was right, but deep inside him, he had the distinct feeling _someone_ was guiding him through the woods._ _

__****_ _

__Hidden in the shadow of two slender, leafless trees, a dark figure was observing the former Sith’s every movement with a mixture of maniacal glee and raw anger. Soon, he would strike and soon he will finally have his revenge._ _

__****_ _

__The sun was already almost gone under the horizon when Vader got to a little brown hut on the edge of a small clearing. The man stared at it in dismay. _‘How in the name of the Force will I fit into that?’_ he thought before slowly shaking his head and scoffing. He peeked through one of the openings which served as a window, just to make sure no one was in there. The place is empty, which didn’t surprise him. Who would live here anyways? Vader pushed the small entrance door open and ducked inside the hut. Surprisingly, he was moving easier than he thought he would. _ _

__The place was dirty, but in order. The walls and the floor were spotted with grime. Tiny pots and cutlery were hanging from the ceiling by hooks and plates were aligned on a small shelf beside an equally small fireplace. The hut possessed two rooms; the kitchen/living room Vader was standing in right now, and a bedroom (if it could be called that). The two rooms were connected by an opening._ _

__As he sat in front of the fireplace, Vader couldn’t help but think what would have happened if he hadn’t fallen into Sidious’ trap. Padmé would still be alive, that’s for sure. They would have had the babies back on Naboo, like she had wanted all those years ago, and they would have raised the twins together as a happy family, without having to worry about anything. He would have become a Jedi Master and he would have trained his children in the ways of the Jedi.  
But without thinking about the future, only about his love-blinded self, he sold his soul to the devil and caused the death of everyone he knew and once cared about. Full of remorse and guilt, Vader bowed his head. _ _

__“May the Force forgive me”, he thought out loud with a faltering voice. “May the Force forgive me, even though I do not deserve forgiveness, for all the deaths I had caused, for all the worlds I have destroyed and for all the misery I have brought upon myself and the galaxy.”_ _

__His voice was so low it was barely picked up by the vocoder, but it was heavy with emotion and seemed to echo throughout the habitation and the surrounding forest._ _

__“Perhaps it would be best if I would leave this world…” he continued. “If that’s the only solution for this pain…”_ _

__“No!” a voice interrupted. “A solution death is not!”_ _

__Vader whirled around and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when his gaze fell on Jedi Grand Master Yoda’s Force ghost._ _

__“Master Yoda”, the man acknowledged, nodding formally._ _

__Yoda hovered a bit closer to him and his bright blue halo seemed to brighten a bit._ _

__“Afraid you should not be”, he said calmly._ _

__Vader narrowed his blue eyes at the smiling Yoda._ _

__“What do you want?” he snapped._ _

__Yoda raised an eyebrow, his smile diminishing a little._ _

__“Something to explain I have”, he replied._ _

__Vader frowned, but remained silent. He would see what the diminutive Jedi Master had in mind before making judgements._ _

__“Sensed you landing here I have”, Yoda continued. “But Force very different… hmm…”_ _

__He seemed to be momentarily lost in his thoughts before snapping back to reality._ _

__“Good I felt, Light. Coming back to us you are, as the Chosen One.”_ _

__Vader’s anger flared at that last sentence._ _

__“Don’t you _dare_ talk to me about that damn Chosen One prophecy!” he roared. “Don’t you see what it did to me? It ruined my life! It made me what I am now!”_ _

__The Force ghost seemed undeterred by the former Sith’s outburst._ _

__“Maybe”, he said with a mysterious smile before growing serious. “Now carefully listen to me. By being the Chosen One, big knowledge and power you have. Alive you should stay.”_ _

__Vader slowly shook his head._ _

__“I can’t”, he said, his deep voice lowered to an almost-whisper (as much as the vocoder allowed it). “All I can do is bring death and destruction–”_ _

__Yoda would have hit him on the head with his walking stick if one, he would still be alive and two, if he would still have it._ _

__“You can!” he interrupted, startling the armoured man. “And that is not true! Know your full potential you don’t.”_ _

__Vader closed his eyes and was surprised to feel tears gathering in them._ _

__“I thought I could prevent people from dying”, he confessed, much to his surprise. “That’s what Palpatine told me. I thought I could save Padmé with the power of the Dark Side. And not for the first time, I was wrong…”_ _

__The large frame shook a little. Yoda’s wrinkled features softened and he hovered even closer to Obi-Wan’s former Padawan learner._ _

__“Cheat death is something a living person cannot do”, he explained. “But something greater than that you can do. Heal people you can.”_ _

__Vader lifted his helmeted head to meet the Jedi Master’s eyes._ _

__“But… isn’t that Force-healing?” he asked incredulously. “Everyone can do that!”_ _

__“No, not exactly Force-healing. Something far greater than that. Completely heal injuries, you can, including serious, life-threatening injuries.”_ _

__Blue eyes went wide._ _

__“What?” the Chosen One breathed. “Really?”_ _

__“But, to acquire that power, meditate you have to.”_ _

__Vader inwardly groaned at the word ‘meditate’. Yoda sensed it and smiled._ _

__“Meditate, and answered, your questions will.”_ _

__And he disappeared._ _

__“Ok I’ll try”, the former Sith grumbled underneath his breath._ _

___“No!”_ came Yoda’s disembodied voice. _"Do, or do not. There is no try.”__ _

__Vader merely rolled his eyes. Meditate. Ok, but how much? For how long?_ _

__Sighing, he set himself in a comfortable sitting position on the hard stone floor. He closed his eyes and slowly surrendered to the Light Side of the Force._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoda makes an appearance! 
> 
> Ok, maybe the ability to completely heal serious injuries is a bit cheezy but it will really play a role in the next chapters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll post the next one as soon as I can.


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